Tom's Bar

The stuff of legend, though not what it wasA popular after-hours backroom-boosted bar, Tom's, originally opened in April 1982 on a site previously occupied by a diner, is the place that every tourist has heard of, though the space is unrecognisable from its clone-era days of leather manliness inspired by master erotic draughtsman Touko Laaksonen (1920–91), better known as Tom of Finland. Things started to change under new ownership from 1993, resulting in the DJ-led atmosphere we have today. For the record, the original Tom's proprietor also owned neighbouring disco Pool, now home of sex cinema the JAXX [see entry], which is linked to the current Tom's and its upstairs similarly named hotel [see entry]. Note non-German-style use of apostrophe in the name, with a view to the international gay market (in contrast to the unrelated Toms Saloon in Hamburg). Monday nights are especailly buzzy, down to the 2for1 drinks deal. And the basement is very dark.